Milk bottle case



Aug. 13,1935. ,F MAU ER,JR 2,011,367

MILK BOTTLE CASE Filed June 2, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JOHN F. MA (/AfAflJR.

BY KMfW A TTORNEYS.

Aug. 13, 1935 J. F. MAURER, JR

- MILK BOTTLE CASE Filed June 2,' 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Ill

I l m f IIIIIL R J m 7 E m m MM M W. J

Patented Aug. 13, 1935 MILK BOTTLE CASE John Maurir, Jr., l\lo ijth lergen,fN. y-npp ieat bn June 2, 1934; serial; Nt; 7281541 I Claims. (01.- 217-19) This invention] has general relation 'to' boxes or crates and refers more particularly to an improved Structure which is especially applicable to milk bottle cases. f

The inventionprovides acase or the indicated character in' which the; vertical side and end walls, as well as thebottle suppcrting and partitioning "elements; are so constructed and'arranged that when they are combined with corner units of the type set; forth,- the case may be assembled without resorting tothe use of rivets, nails, screws or equivalent fastening means, thereby admitting of the ready, 'com'plete'or'partia l-dis assembly of the casein order 'tofacilitate the removal and replacement or. repair of broken or worn parts. a a The invention further provides an improved case which embodies combined bottle supporting andfpartitioning elements which; are fashioned to provide tenons protruding from the opposite ends thereof, which'tenons are engageable within' inortises formed in two vertical walls of the case for sustaining said element-sin position and in assembled relation to the case. v

The invention further comprehends an; improved case or" 'the ch'aracter set forth in which the combined bottle supporting and partitioning elements are arranged in the case-in a transverse positi0n, whereby saidmembers not only serve to more effectually isolate the bottles from any pos sible contact withfeac hiother. but further func' tion as means for; eificiently bracing the longer side walls of the case" against strains and stresses, thereby eliminating the necessity ofernploying additional bracing jmeanfs. v

'I'heinvention further resides in acr ateor case structure of thetypespecifiedfwhich isicompar'a tively simple" inits" construction and' mode'of assembly, which maybe eccnomicallyjproduc'ed and which. is highly fenicient 'f for its intended p po 1 J With the above enumerated" detailediobj ectsl and advanta in fVi'eWQ'rjeferT ence is. now-'n afdeftoftlie iollo specification and accompanying drawings in whichfthe re" is disclosed, by way ot exampm; axpreierredj form of;the"invention, whilethe appended "claims cover variations and modificationsconstituting equivalents thereof.

jIn thedrawin'gsfi f I Q Y Fig. 1' is'a top plan view pf a milk bottle.cas'econstructed'in accordance withthe. present invention. t f

Fig. 2 is alongitudina1 sectional"view"there-' through taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig; 11

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on a plane indicated by the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the comand other 1 more time some supporting and partitioning 61B.-

ments. I

- Fig; Eris a fragmentary side view of the case illustrating the mortise and tenon connections between the vertical'wall and the bottle supporting' arld partitioning element.

PATENT; OFFICE Figs. 6 and 7* are enlarged detail fragnientaryv horizontal'sectionalviews taken approximately on the planes indicated by the lines 6-.-'iand 1 -l ingFi'gQ3 ofthedrawings;

Fig. Sisa fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating a; supplemental 'sur'iport for the lower portions ofth'e bottle supporting and par titioning elements; I

Fig. 9' is a" detail'perspectiv'ei View of the's'upplemental" support shown in-Fig. 8. Referring to the drawingsb'y characters ofref-' er'ence, thebottle case which is disclosed is illustrat'ed as of the type in whichthe vertical side and end'wallsA and B are made up of a number of pieces or slats, although it"is to be understood thatwithin the scope of the invention, said side andjendwalls may be made of. solid pieces.

The side and end walls are connected and braced by corner units C, constructed inaccord' ance with'my prior United'States Letters'Patent, N'o1 1,885,748; granted November 1', 1932, which units 0 include angul'arly disposed'hollow' wings designated generally by the reference characters D 'and E'. The ends of adjacent vertical walls are embracingly received by the wings D and E and in order'to retain the ends of saidvertical' walls within the corner'unit, said wall ends are 1 formed" with vertical gro'oves- F, while the wings are slitte'dtopr'ovide intur'ned tongues'Gengaging' within the grooves and constituting the sole means for'holding the crate elements in" ass'einbled relation with each" other. thus eliminating screws, nails, rivets" or other equivalent fastening devices. This construction admits of the ready complete or partial disassembly of the casein order to facilitate the removal'and replacement or. repair of broken or worn parts by' releasing the tongues G irom-thegrooves F: k

The case further includes combined bottle" sup-' porting and partitioning elements which are'constructed of a l'ength'of material, preferably wood andwhichare of a length to extend between op posite'verti'calwalls of the case, with their lower edges slightly above the plane of the bottom edges of the vertical walls and extending up= wardly therefrom an appropriate distance to; serve as supports and partitions for the rows'of" bottles which are disposed between adjacent par tition elements H and/or verticalwalls of the case; The artition elements are provided" on their opposite longitudinal sides with arcuate recesses l 0 which open through the upper edges of the elements and extend downwardly therefrom to a point spaced from the bottom. edge to define Cll other fastening elements and thereby greatly facilitating the assembly of the case and the incorporation of the elements H therein in a, manner which, allows for their removal without having to remove screws, rivets, or nails.

While obviously the bottle partitioning and supporting elements may be disposed either in longitudinal or transverse position, and supported from either the opposite vertical end walls or opposite vertical side walls, th:e present embodiment discloses the same as extending trans- I versely of the case which is a departure from the present practice of utilizing two' of said elements extending longitudinally. By disposing'the eleinents H transversely, three of said elements are employed and the transverse arrangement of the elements serves to more effectually brace the lower portions of the longer side walls against inward buckling and bending strains which tend to crack" or damage the walls. v

The case may also include'longitudinally dis- :posedrods I4 which extend through openings I5 -in thelower portion of the bottle supporting and partitioning elements H below the recesses I 0 and .the opposite ends of which rods are'fitted in sockets I6'whichopenfthrough the inner faces of the lower portion Gi t he opposite vertical walls. In

7 orderto assist in supporting and partitioning the endmost rows of bottles, the inner face of the lower portion or slat of the opposite vertical walls is of greater thickness than. the remainder to extend beyond the innersurface of the upper portion thereof and vertically extending arcuate depressions I'I areformed infthe protruding pore tions or lower slats of the opposite verticalvwalls todefine ledges I8 in alignment with the ledges I I offlthe elements H. Obviously, by incorpo rating the rods I4 in the crate structure inthe manner specified, said rods are assembled without riveting, thereby facilitating their emplacement and admitting of their ready removal if necessary.

someinstances where itis desired to dis- 'pense with the use: of the rods I4,'supplemental supports and reinforcing members J, are provided for use in connection with the bottlesupportingand partitioning elements H. The members J are preferably fashioned from sheet ma: terial andinclude "a' flat rectangular body I9 7 which is of 'a size, and shape to snugly fit the ends of the elements H below the lowermost tenon I2 and which are afiixe'd thereto bylmeans of an instruck spur Z0 driven into the end of the lements H. The body portion I9 is formed With. marginal side flanges 2| and a marginal bottom fiangeZlembracing opposite sides ofthe elements-H and the lower surface thereof; The

' body is further, provided with .an' outwardly directed upper flange 23 which underlies the lower surface of the lowermost tenon,I2 and the free outer edge of the upper flange 23 is provided with an upwardly extending terminal ZII which overlies the outer end face of the lowermost tenon I2. By virtue of the members J, the elements H are ailor'ded .a supplemental support ing or breaking of the lower portions of theelements', H, the broken part will bearetained in position. It is of course possible to utilize the members J in conjunction with the rods I4 if desired, but said members are particularly de-' signed foruse where the rods I4 are dispensed with. r What is claimed is: V 1. A milk bottle case including vertical walls;

corner units, interengageable tongue and groove means on the vertical walls and corner units for detachably connectingthe same in assembled re-v lation, combined bottle supporting and partition from the vertical walls and'in event of cracking elements extending between opposite vertical walls and means for supporting said elements from said opposite walls comprisingmortiseopenings in said walls and tenons projecting from opposite ends ,of said elements, fitted within the mortise openings of the walls andretained in place the'rein'solely by the tonguefand groove connection between the wallsand corner units and releasable upon disengagement of'the, tongue and groove connections for facilitatingdisassembly and reassembly of the vertical walls, corner units and combined bottle supporting and partitioning elements. V

2. A milk bottle caseincluding vertical walls,

' corner units, interengageable tongueiand'groove means on the vertical walls and corner. units for detachably connecting the same together in as-.

sembled relation, combined bottle supporting a'nd partitioning elements extending between opposite vertical walls, means for supporting said elements from said opposite. walls comprising mortise openings in said walls and tenons. projecting from opposite ends of said elements, fitted 5 within the mortise openings of the walls, a plu rality of rods extendingtransvrsely through openings in said elements and socketed portions of O posite vertical walls of the case within which the terminals of the rods are fitted, said bottle supporting and partitioningelements and said rods being retained in place solely by the tongue and groove means of connection between the walls and corner units.

3. A milk bottle case, including vertical side and end walls, corner units, interengageable tongue and groove me'ans'on the vertical walls and corner units for detachably connecting the same in assembled relation, combined bottle supporting and partitioning elements arranged 1 transversely and in the directionof thewidth of the case and extending between the opposite vertical side walls thereof, and meansior supportingsaid elements from saidloppositeiwall's' comprising mortise openingsinsaid walls and tenons projecting from opposite endsof' said elements, flttedwithin'the mortiseopeningsiof the walls and retained .in place therein solely by the tongue and groove connection between thewalls and corner units and releasable .upon disengage ment of thetongue and groove connections for facilitating disassembly'and reassembly of the vertical: walls, corner units and combined bottle supporting and partitioning elements. 1 r

, JOHN F; MAURERJR. T 

